He said the unions had "some flexibility" when it came to the ownership rules limiting a single foreign shareholding to 25 per cent, and that of a foreign airline to 35 per cent.

But he questioned why Mr Abbott had changed his position on providing a debt guarantee to the airline.

"In our view that would have been the most expedient way, as long as there was some conditionality about well-paid, secure jobs," Mr Oliver told reporters in Canberra.

"I want to know why the government didn't back it. I didn't get the right answer."

Qantas worker Sam Corrie, who works at the airline's Brisbane facility, said he raised safety concerns with Mr Abbott.

"With my own eyes I have seen work that has been sent over to the Philippines that has come back to Brisbane heavy maintenance, and we've had to fix up problems," he said.

Qantas insists its safety standards have not and will not be compromised, adding there has been "no significant concerns with the safety of maintenance work" being carried out on its A380 fleet in Manila.

"Regardless of where maintenance is done, all maintenance on Australian aircraft needs to be conducted at facilities approved by Australia's aviation safety regulator," the airline said in a statement.

A Qantas spokeswoman said changes to the Qantas Sale Act were about providing a level industry playing field for the airline, where it is currently at a disadvantage.

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